


Downfall at Jie Ting

by ficbear



Category: Shin Sangokumusou | Dynasty Warriors, Sān guó | Three Kingdoms (TV 2010)
Genre: Anal Sex, Bloodplay, Bukkake, Comeplay, Cutting, Double Penetration, Facials, Gang Rape, Gangbang, Group Sex, Humiliation, M/M, Marking, Oral Sex, Scratching, Shame, Virginity, Whipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-03
Updated: 2012-01-03
Packaged: 2017-10-28 20:35:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/311935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ficbear/pseuds/ficbear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Whatever talents you have, they're evidently not strategic in nature…" Sima Yi laughed, an awful, frightening sound that sent a chill through Ma Su's flesh. More frightening still was the slow, careful motion of those metal claws, stroking over the skin of Ma Su's cheek and mouth. The young man instinctively licked his lips, and shuddered at the touch of cold metal against his tongue. His shudder earned another unnerving laugh from his captor. "Perhaps your master simply keeps you around to entertain him?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Downfall at Jie Ting

Light spilled onto Ma Su's face, blinding his eyes for a moment as the cell door opened. He had been alone in the cell for who knows how many hours, all the while knowing this moment was on its way, approaching inevitably and terribly. Any Shu officer would have been a valuable prize, but having captured Zhuge Liang's own student, Sima Yi was sure to come in person to gloat over his triumph. Ma Su tried in vain to calm himself, to steel himself for the humiliation that was sure to follow, but all of his courage had drained away the moment those Wei soldiers had seized hold of him.

"Well, well…" Sima Yi's voice cut through the silence of the prison cell, low and sharp. "What a silly little apprentice you are. Did Zhuge Liang really believe you were capable of defeating me? How absurdly foolish."

"My master is not a fool!" Ma Su cried out, his devotion to his teacher suddenly overwhelming the fear that had kept him silent.

"Oh, really?" The older strategist, reached down and took hold of Ma Su's chin, gripping it tightly with the metal claws of his gauntlet. "Only a fool would take on such an incompetent pupil. Honestly, what _did_ Zhuge Kongming see in you?"

"I… I…" The young man looked away, staring intently at the floor. If he looked up into those wicked eyes, he knew the last of his strength would be burned away.

"Whatever talents you have, they're evidently not strategic in nature…" Sima Yi laughed, an awful, frightening sound that sent a chill through Ma Su's flesh. More frightening still was the slow, careful motion of those metal claws, stroking over the skin of Ma Su's cheek and mouth. The young man instinctively licked his lips, and shuddered at the touch of cold metal against his tongue. His shudder earned another unnerving laugh from his captor. "Perhaps your master simply keeps you around to entertain him?"

Ma Su remained silent, striving to hold his nerve. Then those cold claws slashed through the fabric of his robes, and he gave a startled yelp as the material fell away to expose his torso. The air of the prison cell was damp and cold, its touch like a cool hand encircling Ma Su's bare flesh. The young strategist bit back a whimper as Sima Yi's claws traced their way back up to his mouth, teasing and stroking the sensitive flesh of his lips with one needle-like point.

"Is that it, little Ma Su? Did Zhuge Liang take you on just for this pretty face?" Sima Yi's words were mocking, but even the innocent Ma Su couldn't mistake the edge of menacing desire in his tone.

"Absolutely not!" The young man cried. "My master would never-"

"Wouldn't he, now?" The older man interrupted him with a light slap to the cheek, just enough to graze his skin with those vicious claws. "Then I suppose he won't mind if I mark that untouched flesh of yours."

Ma Su's cheek stung bitterly hot where Sima Yi's claws had cut it, and he could feel the slow, steady trickle of his own blood beginning to run down across his skin. He shuddered again; the sight of blood would only inflame a villain like Sima Yi even more.

"Sun Li!" The older man called out sharply, and immediately one of the officers who had been guarding Ma Su's cell came forward, bowing deeply to the strategist.

"Yes, my lord."

"Strip him, and bind his hands and feet."

"Yes, sir."

Sun Li's hands were strong and rough, tearing through Ma Su's clothes as if they were nothing, stripping him naked as briskly and efficiently as he might unsheathe a sword. No matter how much Ma Su struggled, those calloused fingers held him in place, and soon his wrists and ankles were forced into the cold embrace of iron manacles. At least, the captive tactician though, Sima Yi had been merciful enough to have him bound with his hands in front of him; at least this way he could protect a little of his modesty, keeping his hands firmly in front of his groin to shield himself from view.

"Good," Sima Yi said, folding his arms as he watched. "Now, lower the chain and attach his wrists to it. I want him stretched out so that the whole of his back is accessible."

"Yes, my lord." Sun Li bowed again, and Ma Su watched with rising dread as the general obeyed his orders. The heavy chain was lowered slowly until the end of it hung a few feet above Ma Su's head, and in moments Sun Li had locked the manacles securely onto the final link, pulling Ma Su's arms taut above his head. The whole of his body was exposed to Sima Yi's gaze now, and the older strategist watched him with a look of cold satisfaction in his eyes, circling the bound captive like a hawk circling its prey.

"You-" Ma Su exclaimed, trembling with fear and indignation. "You think this is enough to intimidate me, Sima Yi? I won't be broken, no matter how many ploys you-"

His words became a yelp of agony as those cruel claws raked across his shoulders, searing lines of pain into his skin. Sima Yi merely laughed at his cries. Everywhere the metal touched seemed to seethe and burn with sensation, and Ma Su began to wonder whether the tips had been coated with poison, or some kind irritant designed to maximise his suffering. Really, there was no depravity he would not believe Sima Yi capable of.

"So little self-control, so little dignity…" The strategist slapped Ma Su's cheek lightly with the back of his hand, and Ma Su thought for a moment he could smell the scent of his own blood on the villain's gauntlet. "Did Kongming teach you nothing about self-mastery, Ma Su?"

"You're not fit to say his name!" He cried, goaded easily by the mention of his master. "And do whatever you will to me, I will not betray his trust. You'll learn no secrets from me, Sima Yi!"

"Secrets?" Sima Yi laughed heartily, and Sun Li's laughter followed. "Foolish little Ma Su, you have no knowledge worth pursuing, and this is _not_ an interrogation."

Ma Su stared at his captor, eyes wide and heart pounding.

"This is merely entertainment." The strategist smiled, his lips curling with pure venom, and laid one hand on his general's shoulder. "Sun Li, why don't you see if you can beat the arrogance out of this little fool."

"Yes, my lord." Sun Li nodded, unhooking and brandishing the lash that had hung from his belt. "How many strokes, my lord?"

"Six to begin with. I wouldn't be surprised if he breaks after the first three."

"Yes, sir."

The first blow drove a howl of pain from Ma Su's lips, and the second had him arching away from the lash, tugging hopelessly at his manacles and yelping as the leather bit into his skin. The third stroke left him whimpering and panting with exertion, and Ma Su could feel his blood racing, rushing far too fast through his veins, making him dizzy. He must have been poisoned; those vicious claws must have fed some kind of drug into his wounds, because his heart was hammering too fast, and his flesh was suddenly on fire with sensation as the fourth stroke slashed across his back.

"Ah, just as I expected…" Sima Yi's voice was coldly mocking, and he came forward to tap one metal-gloved finger against Ma Su's hardening cock. "I thought you might be the type to thrive on suffering. You certainly seem to thrive on failure, in any case."

Ma Su's cheeks burned with shame as his body reacted to the strategist's cold touch. Even as Sima Yi mocked him, Ma Su could feel himself growing more and more aroused, more and more helpless to fight against his body's appetites.

"Does Kongming beat you regularly, Ma Su? For your incompetence, or just for the pleasure of watching you weep and beg?"

"He would _never_!" Ma Su exclaimed, furious on his master's behalf. Of course Zhuge Liang would never stoop to the barbarity of beating his student; all Ma Su had ever needed by way of correction was a stern word or a grave look from his teacher. To think that his master could enjoy such a thing was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.

"Then he's even more of a fool than I thought." Sima Yi smiled that cool, poisonous smile, and gestured for Sun Li to continue.

The next two strokes were harder still, and Ma Su pulled desperately at his chains as they landed. He was keenly, horribly aware of his own arousal now, and each bite of the lash made his cock twitch and his back arch. He was losing control entirely, losing himself under Sima Yi's savage attentions, and his only consolation was that his master wasn't present to see his degradation.

"Another six, and make them count, Sun Li."

"Yes, my lord."

Ma Su lost count after the seventh blow, after the blazing pain of it had set him bucking and writhing against his bonds once more. He could hear himself begging and crying out, but the words were vague and distant, as if someone else was scripting them. He pleaded incoherently, unsure whether he was begging his tormentor to stop or to continue, and tears streamed down his cheeks until he could feel the warmth of them splashing against his chest.

"Oh, Ma Su," Sima Yi said, as he trailed one claw across the captive's tear-streaked skin. "You continue to disgrace yourself. What would your master say, if he could see you enjoying this debasement?"

Ma Su couldn't answer, couldn't form a single word, and could only sob gently under Sima Yi's taunts. If Zhuge Liang could see him now, what _would_ he say? Would he say anything at all, or simply walk away and banish Ma Su from his life? Would he berate Ma Su for his perversity? Would he lecture him on self-control and propriety? Would he punish Ma Su for succumbing to this depravity? Would he beat him, to demonstrate just how little there was to enjoy in such cruelty? The thought drove a faint moan from Ma Su's lips.

"You really are incorrigible, aren't you, Ma Su?" Sima Yi's laughter cut him as sharply as any whip. "Give him six more, Sun Li. Across the thighs, this time."

The lash struck Ma Su viciously, flicking up to bite at the curve of his rear as each blow landed, and to his shame Ma Su could feel his body reacting ever more extremely to its touch. His cock throbbed achingly hard, swaying and twitching as he strained forward, desperate to be touched. He couldn't voice his desires, but Ma Su's flesh had none of the reticence of his tongue, and it cried out for attention in every arch of his back, every tensing of his tormented muscles. When the blows finally stopped, Ma Su found himself grateful for the chains holding him in place; without their support, he would have crumpled to the floor.

"Good work, Sun Li." The strategist patted his officer's shoulder, and gestured to the cell door. "Now, go and fetch your men. Only those you've judged fit for the task, of course."

"Of course, my lord."

Once Sun Li was gone, Sima Yi advanced on his captive. Ma Su looked intently at the floor, unwilling to meet those malevolent eyes until he was forced to. For a moment he thought he might have been spared that torment; then a sharp claw hooked under his chin, tilting his face up, and all hope deserted Ma Su.

"Do you know what I'm going to have Sun Li's men do to you, little apprentice?"

He could imagine, and the thought sent a shudder of fear and exhilaration through Ma Su's flesh. Still, no words would come, and he simply stared silently up at Sima Yi with wide, tear-filled eyes.

"Oh, poor Ma Su…" The strategist laughed. "Were you saving yourself for your master?"

Ma Su remained silent, unable to tear his eyes away from the burning gaze of his captor. What Sima Yi had planned for him was all too clear, and Ma Su could barely control the trembling of his limbs. He was about to used and violated, and his treacherous, cursed flesh seemed to delight in the prospect. Sima Yi moved closer, near enough that the rich fabric of his robes brushed against the underside of Ma Su's cock, and the captive tactician could barely stifle the moan that threatened to burst from his lips.

"What a pitiful little wretch you are…" Sima Yi taunted him, moving out of reach once more. That mocking smile haunted Ma Su, even when he closed his eyes; he could clearly see the bitter curl of the older strategist's lips, and those wicked eyes glittering with malicious pleasure.

"My lord, I've brought my men as you ordered."

"Excellent." With a wave of his hand, Sima Yi summoned the soldiers into the cell. There were a dozen of them, at least, and the prison cell suddenly seemed horribly small now that it was filled with menacing, leering men. "You'll go first, Sun Li. Consider it a reward for your exceptional efforts on the battlefield."

"Thank you, my lord."

Ma Su could almost feel the general's eyes on him, even as Sun Li moved around behind him. He could vividly imagine the lust in that gaze; indeed, the hungry, cruel faces of the other soldiers gave Ma Su a clear picture of the violent desire that must have burned in Sun Li's eyes. Ma Su felt like nothing more than a trapped buck, surrounded by victorious hunters.

The sound of clothing being unfastened and a bottle being unstoppered jolted Ma Su's attention back to his captor, and he looked pleadingly up at Sima Yi, wanting to beg for mercy even as his body cried out to be touched. There was nothing but malice in Sima Yi's eyes, and Ma Su felt his own eyes begin to well up with tears once more, as Sun Li grabbed hold of his rear with one rough, brutish hand.

"Brace yourself, apprentice," he said, his voice low and mocking.

Ma Su bit his lip, struggling under the pressure of Sun Li's cock as it forced its way past the tight muscles of his ass. It was wet with salve, but even so Ma Su could barely accommodate the invading flesh, and he squirmed desperately against Sun Li. Strong hands held him still, and that relentless force kept pushing and pushing until the whole length of Sun Li's shaft was buried in him. Ma Su leaned back against his tormentor, unsteady on his feet, and struggled helplessly to control his body's reaction. It was futile; with the sensitive flesh of his ass stretched and filled by the general's cock, Ma Su could no more control himself than he could control the heavens, and his lust blazed ever hotter even as his body was violated to the point of agony.

"He's damned tight, my lord," Sun Li said, groaning faintly as he began to fuck Ma Su. "I don't think anyone's had him before."

"Just as I thought." Sima Yi laughed, and caught hold of Ma Su's chin, gripping it tightly. "Kongming really _doesn't_ know how to treat an apprentice like you, does he? Well, he'll learn his lesson, once I send you back to him thoroughly broken in…"

"You- you villain!" Ma Su sobbed, pulling away from the strategist's claws with just enough force that the metal cut into his skin. "You fiend!"

"Is that the best you can do, boy?" Releasing his hold on Ma Su's chin, Sima Yi trailed his claws down across the captive tactician's throat and chest, smearing blood thinly across his skin. "For the student of a master who can kill with a word, you have very little facility with insults."

The wounds on his face stung bitterly, and the burning trickle of blood seemed to Ma Su like a humiliating symbol of the subjugation he was suffering at the strategist's hands; Sima Yi had cut him open, revealed his shame and unleashed a river of terrible lust that could not be staunched. Each surge of pain that bit at his flesh, each brutal thrust that threatened to split him open, was another wave of abject defeat crashing against Ma Su's tormented body.

"How does it feel, Ma Su? Finally getting what you've been longing for all this time, after all those years of languishing untouched… Of course, you'd much rather have that foolish master of yours making use of your body, but you're grateful for any attention you can get, aren't you?"

Ma Su shook his head, unable to voice the protests he knew would be undermined by the obvious arousal of his treacherous flesh. If only he could have silenced Sima Yi's constant, merciless references to his master, he could perhaps have controlled himself. Instead he was helpless under their onslaught, forced to contend not only with the cruelty of his captor, but with the perfidy of his wretched body, reacting like a trained dog at each mention of his master's name.

"My lord," Sun Li interrupted, slowing the pace of his thrusts, "it's not going to take long at this rate, shall I hold off?"

"No, as long as one of your men takes your place when you finish, you can do as you like. And we have no shortage of enthusiastic volunteers, do we?" Sima Yi glanced at the waiting soldiers, and a swell of laughter bubbled up amongst them.

"No, sir," the soldiers answered in unison, and Ma Su couldn't help but whimper at the thought of so many men waiting to use him.

Sun Li quickened his pace once more, slamming into Ma Su's ass with utter cruelty, and the captive tactician clung desperately to his manacles, buffeted and knocked breathless by the force of his thrusts. Three more strokes was all it took, and Sun Li hissed a curse under his breath as he tensed and filled Ma Su's bruised ass with his come.

"Good, Sun Li." Sima Yi placed a hand briefly on his general's shoulder. "Since you have the situation under control, I'll leave you and your men to your task."

The strategist swept out of the cell without giving Ma Su a second glance. The sudden absence of his captor was a bitter blow, and it stung Ma Su even more sharply than the rough withdrawal of Sun Li from his sore flesh. To imprison him like this, to taunt and degrade him, was cruel enough; to delegate the task to a handful of common soldiers was a vicious insult. Tears of shame began to well up in Ma Su's eyes once more, and he shouted after Sima Yi, unable to keep the distress from his voice.

"How dare you! You can't just leave me here, Sima Yi! Come back at once, you- you _coward_!"

"Keep your mouth shut, prisoner, or I'll shut it for you." Sun Li gave a hard tug on Ma Su's hair, and grabbed hold of the chain that bound him.

He barely had a moment to brace himself before the sudden release of the chain sent him to the floor, collapsing heavily onto his hands and knees. The impact jolted a yelp of pain from him, and that only seemed to stir up the soldiers' hunger for their prey. They descended on him like a pack of wolves, groping and pawing at him as the next soldier took his place. Ma Su stifled a groan as his ass was impaled once more. This soldier fucked him in slow, deep strokes, almost as if he were trying to wring the most desperate yelp possible from Ma Su's lips with each thrust. The bound tactician squirmed and writhed, trying to pull away from those fierce, stabbing blows, even as his body yearned for more and harder abuse.

"One of you take his mouth." Sun Li ordered, folding his arms as he watched. "And don't even think of baring those teeth at my men, Ma Su. The slightest scratch, and I'll be sending you back to Shu in a casket."

Ma Su struggled weakly against the soldier who grabbed hold of his head, unwilling to submit completely, yet not daring to call Sun Li's bluff. Pulling away from the man's hands was the most rebellion Ma Su would allow himself, and even that was put down quickly by a sharp tug at his hair. Soon the soldier's cock was buried in his throat, cutting off his air with every thrust, wracking his body with choking convulsions each time the force of it became too much. Ma Su moaned hopelessly, each pathetic sound stifled by the hard shaft weighing on his tongue, stretching his lips and bruising his throat.

Harsh groans and hissed curses filled the air, and suddenly Ma Su felt the hot splash of come spattering across his back. At the edge of his vision he could see the crowd of soldiers, circled around him, stroking themselves shamelessly as they watched his degradation.

"No patience for waiting your turn, eh?" Sun Li gently mocked his men, running a finger through the streaks of come that lay heavy and warm on Ma Su's skin. "Still, I don't think our prisoner minds in the least. Do you, boy?"

Sun Li's words ran him through like a spear. He couldn't deny the effect it was having on him. The feeling of those trails of come, pooling and dripping across his arched back, the scent of it hanging heavy in the air, the knowledge that these soldiers enjoyed his suffering _that_ much, had inflamed his body and pushed him just that bit closer to losing control entirely. Screwing his eyes shut, Ma Su tried to keep the thought of it from his mind, tried to focus purely on the cocks filling his throat and ass, to ignore the baying crowd of men around him. It was just too much, and Ma Su was losing himself in the chaos of it.

"Look how hard the little slut is!" A low, mocking voice exclaimed. "He can't get enough, can he?"

"We'll soon find out…" The soldier kneeling in front of Ma Su growled in pleasure and clamped one hand on the back of the captive's neck, holding him in place as he began to come. Choking and shuddering, Ma Su swallowed as much as he could and let the rest spill down his chin, coating yet more of his skin with the soldiers' come.

He had barely caught his breath when the next hard cock was pressed to his lips, and even though the urge to bite and struggle was coursing through him, Ma Su pushed it down and opened his mouth obediently, accepting the soldier's flesh with only the faintest moan of protest. This man fucked his mouth slowly, drawing out almost entirely with each stroke, yanking on Ma Su's hair to tilt his face upwards.

"Look at me, boy." The soldier ordered, slapping the tip of his cock against Ma Su's swollen lips. "I want to see the look in your eyes when I fuck your mouth."

Ma Su stared up at him, trembling at the sheer cruelty in the soldier's eyes, and held his gaze fast as that thick shaft plunged into his throat again. Silently pleading for mercy even as his body hungered for more, Ma Su coughed and gagged around the soldier's cock, and each convulsion only seemed to urge his tormentor on.

"Choke him again, he tenses up nice and tight every time you do it." The soldier pounding Ma Su's ass laughed, quickening the pace of his thrusts. Soon enough, he groaned raggedly and dug his nails into Ma Su's hips, slamming in one last time as he came.

"Think he can take two at once?"

"Only one way to find out…" Sun Li laughed, and pushed one of his men forward. "Get underneath him, so he's riding you. Then you, Ziquan, take him from behind."

Ma Su wailed in fear as he was hauled upright to make way for the first soldier, and cried out desperately when the reclining man's cock thrust up to impale him from below. He had barely adjusted to the force of that new cock filling him, when the second man knelt behind him and pressed the tip of his own cock to Ma Su's already stretched ass. It was impossible; there was no way his body could take so much abuse, Ma Su was sure of it. And yet, slowly and mercilessly, the second soldier pushed in alongside his comrade, grinding his cock in inch by inch, until both men were buried to the hilt in Ma Su's bruised body.

"Look at him, loving every minute of it!" One of the waiting soldiers reached down to grasp Ma Su's cock, and he yelped pitifully at the sudden overwhelming pleasure of it. The soldier laughed, and withdrew his hand quickly. "Oh no, not yet, prisoner. Not until we've finished with you, if at all."

Another deep groan filled the air, and the soldier who had been enjoying Ma Su's throat pulled back just enough to spray his come all over the captive's face, grinning down at Ma Su in satisfaction as he spattered that tear-streaked skin with it. Before the streaks of come that anointed his face had even begun to cool, Ma Su found his mouth pulled down onto yet another hard cock, and he choked back another sob of despair. The torment seemed as if it would never end, as if he would have to service the entire Wei army before Sima Yi saw fit to release him. He cursed the strategist's name, cursed his own weakness, and silently begged for his master's forgiveness, as yet another vicious thrust forced a moan from his lips.

"You make a much better fucktoy than a strategist, don't you, Ma Su? What do Sun Zi's teachings have to say about being fucked by your enemy's troops, eh?" Sun Li's words stabbed at him, and he sobbed a muffled protest against the flesh in his mouth. "Victory lies in desperate positions, isn't that right? Well, there couldn't be a much more desperate position than yours right now, could there, boy?"

Ma Su gave himself up to the onslaught of rough hands, mocking words and the relentless, brutal pounding of the soldiers' cocks invading his body. There was no resistance left in him, nothing at all but the shame and desire feeding into each other, endlessly. Man after man used Ma Su's body, until the captive tactician lost count of how many hands had touched him, how many cocks he had taken, how many thick sprays of come he had swallowed. There was nothing left of him, of the proud student he had been before Jie Ting. There was nothing left but a moaning, sobbing plaything of a man, cowering under his enemy's attack.

When the last soldier had finally finished, they allowed Ma Su to slump to the floor, giving him no more notice than a dog. The men drifted out of the room casually, chatting to each other and bickering as if they were leaving a feast, not a prison cell. Ma Su could hear their voices fading gradually into the distance, being subsumed by the growing quiet of the empty cell. He welcomed the dark and the silence, wanting to draw it over himself like a blanket, wanting to forget himself entirely under its protection. Lying still, and keeping his eyes resolutely shut, Ma Su could almost ignore the raw heat of his sore flesh, the dull ache of his bruises, and streaks of come that painted him, cool and dry now, along the length of his body.

"What a disgraceful apprentice you are, Ma Su."

He opened his eyes, already knowing what horrible sight would confront him. Sima Yi stood in the shadows of the cells, watching him with wicked, coldly glittering eyes. When had he returned? How much of Ma Su's debasement had he witnessed? The captive opened his mouth, as if to ask out loud, but the strategist's rich laughter silenced him.

"You've undergone so much punishment, and yet _look_ how eager you still are!" With a wave of his clawed hand, Sima Yi pointed to Ma Su's groin, to his still-aroused cock laying heavy and rigid against his come-streaked stomach. "Kongming couldn't have picked a worse student if he tried, could he?"

Kneeling down beside him, Sima Yi unshackled his ankles, and effortlessly pushed Ma Su's legs apart. There was no fight left in Ma Su's body, and he simply let the strategist position him as he pleased, pushing his legs up until his ass was spread wide and open for the taking. Discarding one gauntlet, Sima Yi unfastened his robes and knelt between Ma Su's thighs, looking down on the captive with utter contempt. The sudden force of yet another cock thrusting inside Ma Su wrung a desperate wail from him.

"Later, my little fool," Sima Yi said, fucking him in long, slow thrusts, "I'm going to release you, and you're going to deliver a message for me: a very clear message to your master."

The strategist brought up his other hand, still encased in its metal gauntlet, and drew one claw across Ma Su's chest, carving thin lines into the smooth flesh. Even through the haze of pain and lust, Ma Su could read the symbol clearly. His chest now bore the mark of the Sima, and all of his failure and weakness seemed to be encapsulated in those strokes.

"Show this message to Zhuge Liang," the strategist said, curling his clawed fist around Ma Su's throat, squeezing just tightly enough that the metal points broke the skin. "And tell him, if you are the best he's got to offer, then he's no match for me."


End file.
